1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a door frame assembly, and more particularly to a door frame assembly comprising a two-piece extruded vinyl door jamb secured to the frame of the door opening by use of metal tabs and a snap engaging feature of the door jamb itself.
2. Background
Commercial and residential builders are always looking for ways to cut costs associated with building. This can be done in a number of ways, the two most popular being decreasing labor time and decreasing material costs. Quite simply, one of the most labor intensive as well as material cost intensive phases of construction is finish work for doors.
A number of solutions have been offered to eliminate the costs associated with this aspect of construction. In Day, U.S. Pat. No. 4,819,392, a metal frame system for use as a door frame, window frame or the like utilizing vertical frame members adapted for attachment to wood or steel studs. This system uses a pair of wedges to hold the system in compressive engagement.
Hall, U.S. Pat. No. 4,674,248, discloses a fire-resistant dual layer bimetallic door frame comprising a fire resistant inner layer and an aesthetic metallic outer layer.
Bergthold, U.S. Pat. No. 4,614,068, describes a metal door frame assembly for mounting a door opening. The Bergthold frame comprises in part an inward extruded metal portion which is secured to the door opening and second one piece extruded metal outward member which snap engages the inner member.
Wendt, U.S. Pat. No. 4,223,949, discloses a door frame assembly for partition wall construction comprising a metal backer jamb member and a one piece vinyl jamb outer member which snap engages with the metal backer jamb member.
Richardson, U.S. Pat. No. 4,034,513, describes a structural members which are adapted to support wall panels and accommodate the installation of doors and paneled walls.
Ragland, U.S. Pat. No. 3,676,966, describes a door frame assembly for mounting in a door opening using concealed support members to support the weight of the door. Ragland describes the use of an aluminum one-piece jamb assembly in conjunction with the concealed support members.
McGhee, U.S. Pat. No. 3,345,780, describes a unitary, integrally formed door frame unit which includes a pair of elongated parallel side members bridged together at their top ends by a top member, each piece being formed of multiple layers of fiberglass. Each of these pieces is secured to the door frame by the use of screws.
Nehlig, U.S. Pat. No. 3,349,519, discloses a door jamb assembly having a pair of L-shaped corner sections formed of a synthetic material which are fixed to a backing board and applied to the door opening and a wall.
Tillery et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,115,597, teaches a universal door jamb package of essentially three piece construction and suitable for operation with standard layout doors having knobs spaced approximately thirty-six inches from the bottom edge of the door.
As can be seen from the prior art, numerous approaches have been taken to minimize cost and time associated with this phase of construction. However, none of the above-cited references exhibit the advantages of the present invention. Namely, an extruded vinyl door frame assembly, which may be used with any type of framing components, typically either wood or steel, and which relies on the use of a metal backing tab, which is attached directly to the frame elements for attachment of the jamb pieces, the hinges and thus the door.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an extremely simple device for allowing the finishing of door frame openings.